when I play TES games I tend to work on every skill in the game. I've had people tell me that the game is better when you just focus in one particular field of skills- for example if you're going to be a worrier you should just focus in one/two hand, block, maybe archery. But I tend to be all over the map. Even though I mainly focus in using blades (usually one hand unless I'm duel wielding) I will use spells from restoration to Destruction depending on the type of challenge I face. Since I mix my combat I tend to get high levels in things that "don't fit my character."
I like using spells but I don't want that to be my focus, restoration spells are important to me because that way I'm not constantly buying health potions. Using a bow is fun and challenging especially when you can take out a few people without being seen, and I like sneaking in the shadows and striking when they least expect it. Sword play is something I really enjoy, I always loved watching midevil battles and sword play when I was a kid, I even forged a sword (with help).
I'm just wondering if there's any debate on wither someone should just stick with one skill set or branch out to everything, because I've been called childish for working on everything and told it's better to just pick a class and roll with it because the game's more challenging that way. I'm a pretty open-minded guy and I tend to not like to be classified as one thing, so my personality tends to reflect my characters.

Any thoughts?

I played my first character as one who used every skill. It was fun for a while, but eventually I just got too good at everything and it became a bore. I find that a focused build makes the game more fun for a longer period of time, but that's (obviously) just my opinion.

Stick with what feels fun to you. Easy choice, neh? Why would you care about what somebody else thinks of your playstyle? This isn't WoW, and you're not having to please 20 other people's idea of how you should build your character, just to fit in some player guild. Uber or svcky or anything in between, it's just all you, baby... work it!

My advice: Just go nuts. Play the way you want without worrying about the skills, and your skills will end up reflecting your preferred playstyle. Then, if you get bored with that character, make a new one using the previous one as a guide. If you find your original character tended to have higher combat skills with little magic, then make a warrior and focus solely on combat. Or do the exact opposite and try different types of weapons or even a mage or thief-type character if you want a challenge.

My first build for every TES game is always a Dunmer jack-of-all-trades. I play him how I want and don't really worry about his skill set too much. I focus more on getting a feel for the game. In Skyrim, his main focus is one-handed, block, archery, and sneak. It's a pretty good balance between a warrior and stealth based character. I use almost no magic save restoration, with the occasional spell from other schools just for funsies. I don't plan him to be like that weeks in advance, that's just how he ended up based on how I'd played him. I'll then make new characters and tailor them specifically to a certain style that's either more or less like my "default" playstyle. I have a Khajiit that is specifically stealth-based (high sneak, pickpocket and lockpicking, light armor and daggers), and a Nord that is specifically a warrior (low sneak, heavy armor, and big, two-handed war hammers).
Since I rarely use magic in my normal gameplay, I also have an Altmer mage who uses magic exclusively. I find this very challenging and at times even frustrating, but it's a fun change of pace, and it forces me to try some new things that I normally wouldn't do.

I'm sure that's more than you really wanted to know, but I just thought I'd share. Basically, just play how you want. The game isn't necessarily better when you focus on one particular set of skills; it's better when you play it the way you're most comfortable with.